The objective of this project is to create a device that aids in the placement of external ventricular drains (EVDs).
Sponsored By: Alex Mamourian, MD – Hershey Medical Center Department of Radiology
Team Members
Meredith Bachman | Christopher Birett | Timothy Hogan | Keith Derek Jones | Hannah Kemper | Peter Selinsky | | | | | |
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Project Summary
Overview
Placement of an external ventricular drain (EVD) into the lateral ventricles of the brain currently requires an average of two to three passes through frontal lobe of the brain. With every pass, there is an increased chance of brain damage occurring. Ideally, an external guide would assist surgeons in placing the EVD so that the number of passes would be reduced. The main purpose of the guide would be to set to angle of insertion to ensure that the EVD reaches the lateral ventricles in the least number of passes possible.
Objectives
The final project design will ideally provide surgeons with a consistent, reproducible, and accurate method to guide the catheter through the brain and into the lateral ventricles of the brain. The team produced two unique guides that seek to reduce the average number of passes through the brain until the catheter penetrates the ventricle.
Approach
-The team met with Dr. Mamourian, neuroradiologist, and Dr. Rizk, neurosurgeon, to discuss customer needs for the devices
-The team visited Hershey Medical Center for a presentation from Medtronic regarding high-tech options to similar medical problems
-The team then went through the brainstorming process and began the concept generation and selection process
-Each potential design was evaluated against the established needs
-A patent search was conducted against existing patents to ensure no infringement
-After the lead designs were chosen, the team moved into the modeling phase and used SolidWorks to model both designs
-Lead design 1 is to be completely 3-D printed
-Lead design 2 is to be partially 3-D printed, with the rest of components requiring assembly
-Testing will be performed using a phantom skull, which will help determine if the devices improve placement accuracy compared to the freehand approach
-Due to COVID-19, the printing of final prototypes was not completed and the testing process could not begin
Outcomes
-Ideally, the devices would reduce the number of insertion attempts it takes to reach the lateral ventricles
-This outcome requires testing verification to confirm